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63d Congress ) SENATE { V™*** 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS 



F 220 

S63 H6 
Copy 1 



AN ACCOUNT 



OF THE 



BOHEMIAN, SLOVAK, AND POLISH 

AGRICULTURAL SETTLEMENTS IN 

THE SOUTHERN STATES 



BY 



LeROY HODGES 



// 



Counselor, Bureau of Economics and Public Efficiency 

Assistant Counselor, Bureau of Immigration 

The Southern Commercial Congress 

Washington, D. C. 






WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1914 






REPORTED BY MR. FLETCHER. 

In the Senate op the United States, 

October 8 (calendar day, October 10), 1914- 

Resolved, That the manuscript entitled "Slavs on Southern Farms," by Mr. LeRoy 
Hedges, be printed as a Senate document. 
Attest: 

James M. Baker, titcsetary. 
2 



a of d, 

DF r ; 6 !S14 



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4 



The Southern Commercial Congress, 
Southern Building, Washington, D. C, October 6, 1914- 

Hon. Duncan U. Fletcher, 

Senate Office Building, Washington, D. 0. 

My Dear Senator Fletcher: Mr. LeRoy Hodges, counselor of 
the bureau of economics and public efficiency, and assistant coun- 
selor of the bureau of immigration of The Southern Commercial 
Congress, has prepared a manuscript on the subject "Slavs on 
Southern Farms," the same being an account of the Bohemian, 
Slovak, and Polish settlements in the Southern States. In view of 
the immigration possibilities resulting from the European war and 
of the public interest that attaches thereto, I have the honor to 
submit this manuscript to you, with the request that it be pre- 
sented to the Congress of the United States for publication as a 
public document. 

Respectfully submitted. 

Clarence J. Owen, 

Managing Director. 



CONTENTS. 



Pago. 

Immigration and the South 's economic development 7 

Present-day immigration 7 

Slavs as farmers 8 

Race and origin of the Slavs 9 

Poles as farmers 10 

Poles on farms in Texas 11 

Slovak farmers in Arkansas 11 

Bohemians on Texas farms 12 

Slavs in south-side Virginia 14 

Slavs in Prince George County 15 

Pride of race among Slavs in Virginia 16 

Slavs as we know them 17 

Bohemians as a people 18 

The South 's duty 20 

5 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 



IMMIGRATION AND THE SOUTH's ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 

Already the native skilled and unskilled labor supply of the South 
is practically exhausted. In all sections mill, foundry, factory, and 
mine owners are clamoring for labor. This widespread industrial 
and commercial expansion which is taking place in the South has 
tended to depopulate our agricultural regions, and agricultural labor 
has become a serious problem in many communities. 

The erection of iron and steel plants, sugar refineries, tobacco fac- 
tories, railroad, power, and lighting plants, chemical and woodwork- 
ing establishments, and the development of coal and iron mining has 
attracted the native white farmers and mountaineers from the small 
farms and remote rural districts to the industrial centers. The result- 
ing urban development has also lured the negroes from the country 
to the cities, where they are annually growing less efficient as a 
dependable labor supply. 

These sources are now no longer adequate to meet the rapidly 
increasing demands for industrial labor. In addition to this, the 
migration of the poor whites and negroes from the farms to the 
industrial communities and cities has, to a large extent, prevented 
an agricultural development commensurate with the industrial expan- 
sion. 

While the poor whites have been more or less successful in the 
cotton mills and other industrial establishments and every indica- 
tion is that they will in time become skilled workers, the negroes 
have proven a failure as industrial laborers, except in the coal and 
iron mines and in the roughe st kinds of construction work. Realizing 
this, a few southern manufacturers have be gun to encourage and assist 
an immigration of skilled and unskilled alien laborers. 

The effect of the poor whites and negroes moving from the farms 
has been partly counteracted by the influx of farmers from the 
Northern and Western States, and by small groups of immigrants 
who are leaviug the industrial centers of the North and Middle West 
to go on the land. Neither of these movements, however, is sufficient 
to meet the demand for industrial labor in the South, nor to people 
our millions of vacant acres. The future economic development of 
the South is therefore dependent on immigration. 

PRESENT-DAY IMMIGRATION. 

This being true it concerns us to know something of the present-day 
immigration. 

Instead of the Dutch and Flemish, English, French, German, Irish, 
Scandinavian, Scotch, and Welsh home seekers of yesterday, the tide 
of immigration now casts upon our shores Slavs, Magyars, Greeks, 

7 



8 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 

Russian Hebrews, north and south Italians, Syrians, Turks, and other 
people from southeast Europe who are emigrating to better their 
economic condition. 

These people are largely unskilled laborers from the industries and 
small farms of Europe, where the highest wage is small compared 
with the lowest industrial wage paid in the United States. Nearly 
75 per cent are males, while 83 per cent are between the ages of 14 
and 45 years, being producers rather than dependents. They bring 
little money into the country, but send or take a considerable part 
of their earnings out. Upon entering the United States they turn 
to the mills, factories, and rrines to take advantage of the high wages 
offered, although the majority of them have betn reared as tillers of 
the soil. 

The recent immigrants are primarily agriculturists. They labor 
and save under the most discourrging conditions and make the 
utmost sacrifices in order that they n ay some day return to the land. 
Among the Slavs this desire for land ownership don mates their 
daily life and gives them inspiration to stand the fierce competitive 
struggle in the industrial centers. 

The Federal Bureau of In migration repcrts that thousands of the 
recent imn igrants return to Eurepe each y< ar after a r s id< nee in t is 
country of from about 5 to 20 years, with, in some cases, large savings 
to invest in Europe. These people are returning abroaci to invest 
their American-made money in the agricultural If nds of Europe, for 
which they have to pay from $2C0 to $5f0 per acre, without any real 
knowledge of the agricultural opportunities in the South. A proper 
effort, however, woulel turn many thousands of these people who are 
seeking agricultural homes toward the South to be used in our agri- 
cultural and industrial development. 

SLAVS AS FARMERS. 

In doing this we woulel not be inviting economic rum and social 
degradation, as certain chrcnic pessimists and political demagogues 
would have us believe, for the success of the immigrant agricultural 
colonies already established in the Scuth shew that under proper con- 
elitions and encouragement the recent immigrants, especially the 
Slavs, make very desirable citizens. The truthfulness of this is evi- 
denced by the Behemian, Serb, Pclish, and Slovak colonists found in 
Texas, by the Slovaks in Arkansas, by the Behemian and Slovak 
farmers in the south-side Virginia counties, and by the Slavish far- 
mers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Maryland, Alabama, Louisiana, and in 
the other Southern States. 

Slavs are now engaged in agriculture in each of the 16 Southern 
States. Only a very few are found in some, it is true, but wherever 
they are found they enjoy the confidence and the good will of their 
neighbors. Not only is this true, but it is also shown by the recent 
census of the United States that there is not a State in the Union 
that eloes not incline anions its people s°me Slavish farmers. 

Considering the United States as a whole, they are found chiefly 
in the States of North Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, 
Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, 
New York, Connecticut, Washington, Colorado, Ohio, California, 
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. In the South the largest 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 9 

numbers are located in the States of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and 
Virginia. Possibly the total number of Slavish farm operators in the 
United States, composed chiefly of Poles, Bohemians, and Slovaks, 
will largely exceed 100,000. 

RACE AND ORIGIN OF THE SLAVS. 

Before we proceed further, who are the Slavs ? 

Prof. Oscar Peschel, of Leipzig, says they are out of the great Indo- 
European family of the Letto-Slavonic stem of the north European 
Aryan group. He places their origin in the " region of the Danube." 
Prof. Lubor Niederle, of the Bohemian University at Prague, sub- 
stantiates this in his statement that the Slavs are of "central European 
origin." Prof. S. Zaborowski-Moindron, of the Ecole d' Anthropologic, 
at Paris, cites their origin as "north of the Carpathians, where, 
through ancient usage, they were called Veneti, which people pene- 
trated as far north as the Baltic littoral at a very remote period and 
were the propogators of the rite of cremation." 

In describing the physical appearance of the Slavs, Prof. Niederle, 
who is the author of SlovansJcy Svet, says: 

Anthropologically, the Slavs are characterized by a most rounded head, good 
cranial capacity, medium stature, and good physical development. In complexion 
they range from brunette to blonde, the former predominating among the southern 
Slavs, while blondes are more numerous among the northern parts of the stock. 

He divides the Slavs of to-day into the seven following groups : 

(1) Russian stem. 

(2) Polish stem. 

(3) Luzice-Serbian (Serbs) stem. 

(4) Bohemian (Cechs) and Slovak stem. 

(5) Slovenian stem. 

(6) Serbo-Chorvat (Servians and Croatians) stem. 

(7) Bulgarian (including the so-called Macedonians) 

stem. 

Grouping all of these peoples together, Prof. Niederle estimates 
that in 1910 there were m the world more than 150,000,000 Slavs. 
Of this number he says 70 per cent are of the Russian stem, 13 per 
cent Poles, 7 per cent Bohemians and Slovaks, 4 per cent Bulgarians, 
and comparatively few Slovenians, Croatians, Servians and other 
Slavish people. He estimates that in the United States we have 
about 1,500,000 Poles, about 500,000 Slovaks, possibly 300,000 
Bohemians, about 300,000 Croatians and Servians, 100,000 Slovenians, 
and only comparatively few Bulgarians. Although not so stated 
by Prof. Niederle, there are also at least 300,000 Slavs of the Russian 
stem in the United States. 

Turning to closer consideration of these several races, the large 
number of Poles found in the United States makes it interesting to 
consider them rather closely, especially with regard to such tenden- 
cies as they may exhibit toward leaving the industrial centers and 
settling on the land. This, together with a brief account of the 
Slovak farmers in Arkansas, the Bohemian farmers in Texas, and 
the Bohemian and Slovak farmers in the southside Virginia counties 
will be helpful in understanding possibly a little better our Slavish 
farmers, and will show us one method by which the idle acres of the 
South can be turned into highly productive and valuable agricultural 
areas. 



S. Doc. 595. 63-2- 



10 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 

POLES AS FARMERS. 

Texas, the largest of the Southern States, has the distinction of 
containing the first permanent Polish settlement in the United 
States. This colony was established at Panna Marya, Karnes 
County, in the year 1855 by about 300 persons from Austrian Poland. 
There are records of a few Polish families, chiefly political lefugees 
from Europe, settling in different parts of the United States prior 
to 1850, but no evidence of a sufficient number in any one locality to 
constitute a colony. \ Poles settled in Wisconsin shortly after 1850, 
and the records of several Roman Catholic Churches show that as 
many as 16 Polish rural colonies were established in Wisconsin, 
Michigan, and Texas between the years 1854 and 18701 

Previous to 1860 the immigration of Poles to the United States 
was irregular and was seriously affected by the American Civil War. 
After 1865 the movement assumed the character of a popular exodus 
of the peasantry of Polish Europe, as a direct result of the Austro-. 
Prussian war and the resulting political and economic conditions in 
Germany. 

The real immigration of Poles to the United States, however, began 
after the year 1870. Between 1870 and 1880 nearly 40,000 entered 
the country. The majority of the Poles entering the United States 
during this period went to the larger industrial communities and 
cities to engage in industrial pursuits. Some migrated to the North- 
western States, where they found employment in lumber camps and 
sawmills, while a comparatively large number settled on the farms of 
Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Texas. In 1880, 17 
Polish churches were reported in Texas, 16 in Wisconsin, and 6 in 
Missouri. By 1887 there were more than 50 Polish agricultural set- 
tlements in the United States, i 

About 1885 the tide of Slavish immigration began to sweep through 
our ports of entry in an annually swelling stream, and Polish agri- 
cultural colonies were rapidly established in the Great Lake States, 
Minnesota, and in the Dakotas. A distinct change in the character of 
the colonists began about this time. Instead of the Polish peasants 
who had emigrated from Europe direct to the agricultural regions of 
this country seeking permanent homes, the movement became an 
immigration of Poles to the agricultural regions from the cities and 
industrial communities of the United States, where they had been 
engaged in the coal and ore mines, quarries, steel mills, and other 
industrial establishments. 

This change was largely due to the efforts of land agents and their 
advertisements in the Polish newspapers. Having been farmers or 
farmers' sons abroad, and with savings from their earnings in the 
industrial pursuits, these groups made good pioneers and were soon 
firmly established on the cut-over and prairie lands of the Northwest, 
the poorer farms of the Middle West, and on the fertile acres of Texas. 

Poles are often spoken of as "lovers of the land," and many among 
even the lower classes consider it a degradation to work as industrial 
laborers. In the United States they have proven themselves ex- 
cellent pioneers, and after acquiring property, become exclusively 
farmers. They are independent, self-reliant, self-supporting, though 
possibly inclined to be clannish, and are efficient husbandmen. 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 11 



r 



With hardly an exception, the Polish colonies in the United States 
exhibit indications of progress. There is a noticeable improvement 
in the general appearance of the farms owned by Poles of second ana" 
third generations when contrasted with those of their parents. The 
tillage on the former places is more careful, the dwellings are often 
well constructed, comfortable homes, while the barns are big, sub- 
stantial structures. Fine herds of cattle are common, and evidence 
of thrift and prosperity are to be seen on all sides. 

It is claimed by some authorities that the Polish agricultural 
communities in the United States are progressing as rapidly as the 
colonies of any of the other distinctly foreign groups and can be 
favorably compared with Bohemian, German, Swedish, and Swiss 
settlements. 

POLES ON FARMS IN TEXAS. 

Polish farmers have settled in all parts of Texas, although the 
principal and better-known colonies are located in Falls, Fayette, 
Grimes, Karnes, Robertson, Washington, and Wilson Counties. 
Karnes County includes Pamia Marya, the oldest permanent Polish 
colony in the United States. Here they are chiefly cotton farmers. 
About one half own their farms, while the other half rent the land 
thev till under the "cropper" system. 

They usually produce a much larger yield of cotton per acre than 
the average native Texan. This is possible, first, because the Poles 
work in the fields themselves, while the native Americans generallv 
employ negroes to do their work; and, second, because the Polish 
women and children work with the men in the fields, thereby more 
than doubling the labor force without an increased labor expense. 

Homes of the Poles in Texas are neat and are often comfortably 
furnished. They mingle with other races very little and seldom inter- 
marry, but maintain a rather high moral standard, and local mer- 
chants testify to their honesty. They are fairly temperate and, as a 
rule, adhere to the Iloman Catholic Church. In nearly every town 
where there are sufficient number of Poles to support a church will be 
found a resident priest and a parochial school and a well-organized 
congregation. Few Polish children are found in the public schools, 
although the majority of them usually remain on the farm. 

Wherever Poles have located on farms in Texas it is reported that 
they have benefited the community by their thrift and integrity and 
that they are desirable settlers. 

SLOVAK FARMERS IN ARKANSAS. 

Another interesting Slavish colony in the South is found at Slovak- 
town, Ark. This colony is the product of a land company organized 
in Pittsburgh about 1894, which undertook to influence the migration 
westward of Slovak coal miners in Pennsylvania. 

Located 12 miles from the nearest railroad on the open prairies, the 
place has no natural advantages for settlers. On the whole, however, 
this colony has done remarkably well. In some instances, during the 
early years of the colony, the men were forced to return east and work 
a part of the year in the mines in order to support their families and 
to secure the necessary funds for the improvement of their farms. 



12 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 

More than SO per cent of the members of this colony own property 
free of debt. The farms vary in value from $1,000 to $10,000, 
averaging about $2,000. A large number of them bought their farms 
while working in the coal mines of Pennsylvania and Illinois, and 
after paying for them and saving a little capital moved to Arkansas. 

The coming of the Slovaks greatly increased land values in the 
locality, and it is stated that nearly every cent of their earnings is 
immediately invested in improvements on the farms and in live 
stock. Many of these families own more than 20 cows and from 5 to 
10 horses and mules, as well as large numbers of hogs. 

This colony forms an independent group, and visiting among 
themselves is almost the only form of enjoyment indulged in on 
account of the isolation of the colony, although the younger people 
occasionally hold dances. The Slovaks associate freely with the 
Americans in the county and in the towns when they are abroad, 
and no prejudice exi sts against them in any part of Arkansas. As a 
race and as farmers they are highly respected. 

There are about 75 men of voting age in the colony, over 90 per 
cent possessing full naturalization papers. They play only a minor 
part in local elections, however, and very few of them have held 
public office. There have been several Slovak members on the county 
school boards, and oi c or two of them have held positions as road 
overseers. 

The Slovaks in this part of Arkansas have greatly improved con- 
ditions in agriculture. They have not introduced any new methods or 
crops, but they brought with them capacity for hard work and their 
characteristic thrift, with which they have turned the former barren 
prairies into a productive farming region. 

BOHEMIANS ON TEXAS FARMS. 

Turning again to Texas we find the State has an estimated Bo- 
hemian population, in addition to the Poles, of over 50,000, engaged 
principally in agriculture and scattered through 80 counties. 

More than 60 per cent of these people own their property, and over 
50 per cent of that number have their holdings free of debt. The 
majority of them entered Texas without sufficient money to purchase 
land at first, and have won their present prosperity by thrift and hard 
work. 

The first Bohemians, together with a group of Serbs of the Luzice- 
Serbian stem, settled in the State as early as 1835, before the days of 
the Texan Republic, in what is now Burl son County. The first 
permanent colony, still in existence, however, was not established 
until about 1853, in Fayette County. Their farms to-day vary in 
-i/o from 40 to 1,000 acres, averaging about 100 acres. They are 
chiefly cotton growers ; but, unlike the natives, they produce enough 
trucking stuff to supply the demands of the family and raise sufficient 
feed to provide for their live stock. They are on the richest cotton 
lands in the State, and their numbers are increasing annually. 

In Texas the Bohemians farm intelligently and use the most 
improved implements and methods of cultivation. As a result, farm 
values in the localities where they are found are steadily going up. 
They form a group of citizens of which Texas is proud, and every 
effort is being made to induce greater numbers of them to settle in the 
State. 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 13 

The real movement of Bohemians to Texas has been in progress 
since the early fifties, coming first direct from Europe, and later 
chiefly from the industrial centers of the East. The principal colonies 
are located in the counties of Fayette, Lavaca, Austin, Burl; son, 
Williamson, and McLennan. Many of the settlements which have 
been established since 1890 are the result of a shift in population 
from the older colonies — the settlements on the "Panhandle" are a 
direct result of this tendency. 

Bohemians throughout the Texas colonies send their children to 
the district schools. . In some of the towns a parochial school is also 
maintained. Considering the settlements as a whole, however, 
school attendance is comparatively poor. A very small percentage 
of the children pursue their education beyond the grammar grades, 
although a few are found as teachers in the public schools. 

As soon as they are old enough to work on the farms the larger 
portion of the children leave the schools and go to work on the home 
places. They generally remain at home until they marry. It is 
no doubt true that much of the success of the Bohemians in agri- 
culture is due to this fact. Even the women hi the middle classes 
regard it their duty to assist in the cultivation and harvest of the 
crops. 

Possibly 90 per cent of the Bohemians in Texas are Roman Catho- 
lics, and in all towns where they are in sufficient numbers they have 
then- own church and resident priest. Some of these churches, 
usually situated on the top of a hill in the rural regions, are built of 
brick; some of stone; but the majority are frame structures. 

One very prominent rural church crowns a hilltop in the midst of a 
wilderness where the land as far as the eye can reach is only sparsely 
settled — not more than 20 farms are visible. As widely scattered 
us this congregation is, it furnished $15,000 in cash toward building 
a brick church. Some of the members of this church come a distance 
of over 20 miles to attend mass each Sunday. 

In these colonies there is also a marked inclination for social inter- 
course, and the monotony of farm work is frequently broken with 
picnics, dances, and other social diversions. These Bohemians are 
fond of music and dancing. Near crossroads connecting Bohemian 
towns is often found a dancing pavilion. In the towns such places 
are also found; some of them being rather large and costly. They are 
built usually by public subscription, or by some club, and during the 
summer months dances are frequently held. Throughout the region 
are found orchestral bands and choruses. 

Local newspapers printed and published by Bohemians in a 
large number of towns keep well abreast of the times and have a 
very marked progressive effect throughout the region. 

National, State, and church holidays are all celebrated by the 
Bohemians. The Germans join with the Bohemians in the observ- 
ance of church festal days as well as the American holidays, and such 
gatherings are often made the occasion of great festivity. During 
the summer months there are numerous social diversions in the form 
of picnics and open-air dances, participated in by the two races, who 
mingle together freely. As is well known, Texas also has a very 
large rural population of Germans 

In all of these settlements the very best feeling exists between 
the Americans and Bohemians, although in many cases the Bohe- 



14 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 

mians have literally driven the Americans out of town. They 
have always offered the Americans a good price for their lands, 
however, and the Americans have been willing enough to move. No 
prejudice exists against immigration here, which is a powerful factor 
assisting in the rapid assimilation of the Slavs and the progress of the 
Texas colonies. 

This success of the Bohemians on Texas farms has been the result 
almost exclusively of intelligent citizenship and a persistent and 
proper use of the soil. There has been practically no outside employ- 
ment or development of supplementary industries. They exercise 
the right of suffrage intelligently and honestly, and have held public 
office in the counties and under the State. They have introduced 
diversified farming in the cotton belt, and have demonstrated that 
the farms can be made self-supporting outside of the money crop; 
and, as has been demonstrated time and rgain, they can, under the 
same conditions, raise a larger crop from a given area than the 
native farmers. 

SLAVS IN SOUTH-SIDE VIRGINIA. 

What may be termed the south-side Virginia colony of Slavs is 
centered around the city of Petersburg in southeast Virginia, chiefly 
in the county of Prince George. This county, together with the 
counties of Dinwiddie and Chesterfield, contains the bulk of the 
Slavish farmers in Virginia. The colony was begun more than 25 
years ago by a few Bohemian and Slovak families from the industrial 
and mining communities of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, 
who were seeking agricultural homes. These early settlers came to 
Virginia with little money, without friends, but stimulated by the 
desire to make homes for themselves on the fertile lands of the upper 
James. 

Life, however, was not all roses in Virginia for these first settlers. 
They were not known in the region, nor were they recognized at their 
true worth. They did not possess the easy credit they command to- 
day, nor — the even more valuable asset - the confidence of the native 
residents. They had to struggle against heavy odds. Gradually, by 
sheer pluck, good behavior, unbounded energy, and by hard work, they 
have won the recognition of the native Virginians. To-dav the colony 
enjoys the full confidence of the people of southeast Virginia, and 
in the city of Petersburg and their respective counties they are very 
highly regarded. 

Slavs they are, every one of them; Slavs, however, who are proud 
of their origin, and who are zealous in their efforts to command the 
respect of their fellow citizens — Slavs who are loyal, patriotic Ameri- 
cans. They are respectful of the traditions of the old South, and are 
eager, active builders of the new South. On all sides they enjoy 
the confidence of and command the respect of the Virginians — they 
are foster children of the Republic who are growing into the fullness 
of true citizenship under the care of the old mother State. 

In the whole colony, which is represented to a certain extent in all 
of the so-called nine south-side counties, including Amelia, Brunswick, 
Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Nottoway, Prince George, 
Surry, and Sussex, there are possibly as many as 3,000 Slavs. Slo- 
vaks predominate, and, it is interesting to note, they hold a place 
equally as high as the Bohemians. There are a few Russian Poles 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 15 

here and there, particularly in Surry and Sussex Counties, and a few 
scattering families of Lithuanians and Slovenians. All of thes* 
people are engaged in agriculture. 

The Slavs in this colony have taken up land in many instances 
long neglected and regarded as "worn-out land" and have turned 
the places into valuable producing farms. They follow practically 
the same crop scheme as practiced by the native farmers, their prin- 
cipal crops being peanuts, corn, and tobacco. Over 90 per cent are 
proprietors and operate their own farms. Although they compose 
less than 3 per cent of the total rural population of the south-side 
counties, and not more than 15 per cent of that of Prince George 
County, their presence is easily noticed. 

SLAVS IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY. 

In Prince George County, which alone has about 1,200 Slavs, 
of which possibly 40 per cent are Bohemians and the rest Slovaks, 
the largest foreign population of any of the counties in the group, 
is found the highest percentage of improved land. This is true 
in face of the fact that no more than 69 per cent of the total 
land area of the county is in farm lands. For instance, the im- 
proved farm lands compose just a little over 48 per cent of the 
county's total farm area, while in none of the other south-side counties 
does the proportion exceed 38 per cent. It is also interesting to note in 
this connection that the population per square mile is only 27, the 
total population in 1910 being less than 8,000, of which 58 per cent 
were negroes. 

In this same county more than half of the Slavish males of voting 
age are fully naturalized, while a large percentage of the other half 
hold first papers. No record of a criminal prosecution having been 
brought against a Slav exists in Prince Ceorge County, and only one 
or two minor judgments have been docketed against members of the 
colony. 

Illiteracy among males of voting age in the county was reported 
by the Thirteenth Census of the United States to be higher among 
the native-born whites than among the Slavish foreign born, the 
percentage being 7.1 for the former and only 5 for the foreign- 
born Slavs. This is significant in view of the predominancy of Slo- 
vaks in the county. Illiteracy among the negroes was reported at 
higher than 46 per cent. 

This same report shows that of the total number of children in the 
county 6 to 14 years old, inclusive, only about 65 per cent attend 
school. Of the Slavish children, however, 74 per cent attend the 
public schools as compared with 73 per cent of the native white chil- 
dren of native parentage. Only 60 per cent of the negro children are 
in school. In addition to this, the public-school teachers in the 
county report that the Slavish children exhibit a more marked ten- 
dency to advance than any other group of children in the schools. 

Another unusual feature found among the Slavs in Prince George 
County is the predominancy of protestantism. Considering the large 
number of Slovaks this is extremely interesting. There are three 
Protestant congregations in the county and only one Roman Catholic. 
The latter has possibly no more than 250 adherents, while the com- 
bined Protestant congregations include about S00 persons. Among 



16 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 

the Protestants, the Congregational Church has a following of about 
500 and is the largest Congregational pastorate in the State of Vir- 
ginia. There is also a large Presbyterian congregation of ab )ut 200, 
and a Lutheran Church with about half this number. Here and there 
are also found a few families of Slavs who are Methodists. 

PRIDE OF RACE AMONG SLAVS IN VIRGINIA. 

Recently the people of Petersburg and vicinity were suddenly 
made aware of the maturity of the south-side Virginia colony by a 
prompt and publicly expressed resentment of a possibly uninten- 
tional slur cast at the Slavs by a visiting speaker who was understood 
to class the Slavs as undesirable immigrants for the South. This 
incident, with almost lightning rapidity, solidified the several Slavish 
elements in the colony, and their leaders immediately demanded 
recognition of their fitness as agricultural settlers. The response to 
this demand was highly flattering to the Slavs and remarkable for 
the promptness and forcefulness with which it was made. 

In a public statement issued by one of the prominent members of 
the Bohemian colony in Prince George County, a member of the 
county school board, it was asserted that — 

This slur at the Slavs is certainly undeserved as is evidenced by their character, 
industry, and their aeeeptableness which are demonstrated beyond contradiction 
by the local immigrant colony, which is composed, be it known, almost entirely of 
Bohemians and Slovaks (both Slavish people). 

Continuing, the statement argued: 

These people have been coming to the local counties for the past 25 years; they have 
taken up farms abandoned by native Virginians and have brought them to a very high 
degree of cultivation and productiveness; they hold an envied reputation for honesty 
and good citizenship — there is not a merchant in Petersburg who will not attest to 
their strict integrity in all business and financial transactions. 

More than this, they have been recognized by the native Virginians. In Prince 
George County, for example, a Bohemian born in Europe was recently elected a 
member of the board of county commissioners, while other members of the colony 
hold important public offices. 

Leading southern economists, among others, are now contending that the problems 
of immigration, as far as the South is concerned at the present time, are those of an 
internal redistribution rather than an assisted foreign immigration. The speaker, 
judging from his statements, apparently does not hold this view; and he utterly fails 
to take into consideration the primary cause underlying the movement of immigrants 
to this country, the labor element in the industrial organization of the North and the 
Middle West, and the life ambition of the Slavish people in America — a people who 
are lovers of the land, and whose life object is to be landowners. 

What the South needs more than an increased railroad traffic is the redevelopment 
in the breasts of her people of loyalty to the high ideals of right, individual liberty, 
and the honorableness of unselfish, constructive public service. The new citizens 
who come to live in the South must respond to these ideals. They must come t,o be 
southerners, and in being southerners, to be truly Americans; they must come, 
accepting established institutions; and must join in the national life of the South as 
home makers and as guardians of the integrity of the white race. 

By actual demonstration the Bohemians and their Slavish brothers have proved 
that with proper treatment, and when accepted as men at a man's worth, they can 
measure up to these requirements. 

The Index- Appeal, the leading daily newspaper at Pet< rsburg, 
promptly replied editorially to this strongly worded and highly 
id< alistic statement under date of January 25, 1914, in part as 
follows: 

What h pity it is that the speaker at the meeting held here yesterday had not talked 
with one or two of the business men of Petersburg regarding the Slavs. He would 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 17 

not have expressed the views to which he gave utterance regarding the character 
of these people had he obtained first the opinions of our business men regarding their 
character and general desirability as citizens. 

It would be impossible to find a better class of people to bring into America from 
Europe than the Bohemians. Almost without exception they are hardworking, 
honest, thrifty, and fine farmers. They have made sections of Prince George to 
blossom like the rose. The farm of the average Bohemian in Prince George, where 
the majority of them are located, is a model of neatness, productiveness, and thrift. 

One of the best-known business men of Petersburg told this writer recently that 
he had sold many thousands of dollars' worth of goods to Bohemians in Prince George, 
Dinwiddie, and Chesterfield and never had lost a dollar on a single purchase. A year 
or two ago a Bohemian sold his Prince George farm and went to Chicago to live. When 
the news came to the merchant mentioned he made up his mind to charge to the 
profit and loss account the $60 which this debtor owed him. But inside of three 
months he sent him $30 and inside of six months remitted the remaining $30 of the 
debt. 

Business men of Petersburg will not resent, in the sense of becoming angry, the 
slurs cast upon our "Bohemians" by this speaker, but will regret that he failed to 
inform himself more accurately before expressing his opinion. 

Action was also immediately taken in the matter by the Chamber 
of Commerce of Petersburg which has resulted in a satisfactory 
explanation from the incautious visiting speaker. A most hearty 
public indorsement of the Slavs has been expressed, and all classes 
of citizens have united in voicing then approval of them as agri- 
cultural settlers for the south-side Virginia counties. 

SLAVS AS WE KNOW THEM. 

This high recognition which the Slavs have won for themselves as 
desirable agricultural settlers in the South, awakens an interest in 
them as a people. 

Americans are more or less informed about Russia, the great " Slav 
Empiie," and readily understand, in a general way, some tiling of 
the Russians. Many do not know, however, that there are almost a» 
many different kinds of Russians as there are Slavs, if we attempt to 
disregard the national unit and divide the Russian people according 
to their respective races. For instance, within the term "Russians," 
as commonly used in the United States, are included several Slavish 
races. They are the Lithuanians out of the great race of the Letts; 
the Poles living in the territory annexed by Russia upon the parti- 
tion of the ancient Polish Empire by Austria, Germany, and Russia 
in the past century; and the Russians proper, who include the Great 
Russians, the White Russians, and the Ruthenians or "Little" 
Russians. 

All American students of European history also know the story 
of the ancient glory and the final fall of the Polish Empire. They 
know too of the exploits of Count Casimir Pulaski, the exiled Polish 
soldier and famous general of the American Revolution; and many 
Americans are sufficiently informed to look back with pride to the 
services rendered America in the Revolution by Thaddeus Kosciusko, 
the great Polish patriot. Thus, as a people, the Poles are not un- 
known to us in America. 

The recent Balkan wars have also stimulated American interest in 
the Bulgarians and the Servians, and have resulted n a wider and 
deeper understanding of these two branches of the great Slavish race. 
Not so much is known, however, of the Croatians and the Slovenians, 



18 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FAEMS. 

but as neither of these two races are represented in agriculture in the 
South to any appreciable extent they do not command the same 
interest as is now manifested in the Bohemians and the Slovaks. 
Because, too, of the subordinate position of the Crown lands of 
Croatia and Slavonia within the Hungarian Kingdom, there is not 
the same interest centering around the Croatians, or the Slovaks for 
that matter, as around a people possessing a more pronounced 
national integrity. 

It is therefore possibly the Bohemians, with the possible excep- 
tion of the Slovaks, more than any of the other Slavish races, about 
whose national, racia : , and literary history so little is known and 
who at the same time command such an interest among the people 
of the South. This interest in the Bohemians on the part of the 
southern people is intensified by their coming among us in such 
large numbers as agricultural settlers. 

BOHEMIANS AS A PEOPLE. 

As a people, none possess a more fascinating history than the 
Bohemians, for the story of the ups and the downs of the Bohemian 
nation has the grip and thrill of a fairy legend. One can not read, 
for instance, the legendary tale of the founding of the now beautiful 
city of Prague by the mythical Princess Libusa without catching the 
charm of Bohemia. The history of Prague is largely the history of 
Bohemia. Visit Bohemia and one can feel that the indomitable 
spirit of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, that dashing cavalry leader of 
ancient days, still lingers here and there among the Bohemians. 
There, too, one finds — a most hopeful sign, thanks to Palackv, the 
great Bohemian historian— that the pride of nation has again been 
firmly planted in the hearts of his people. Nor did that martyred 
Bohemian patriot and reformer John Hus fight and die in vain. 
John Hus's death at the stake in Constance 500 years ago made him 
the "Immortal Bohemian." He it was who implanted the spirit of 
emulation in the Bohemians of to-day. The labors of the astute 
Rieger, champion of the old Bohemian constitution, and the teachings 
of the brilliant Braf also add their force to the story of the Bohe- 
mians — a truly great story of a really great people. 

Only a great people could build and maintain a city like the modern 
Prague — that splendid modern-ancient municipality of more than 
600,000 inhabitants. There we find, in spite of the germanizing 
policies of the overlords of the Bohemians, a genuine Bohemian city. 
Possibly no more than 7 per cent of its population now are Germans. 
Prague is truly a "golden city of a hundred towers," where the 
mystery and charm of its illustrious past have not been sacrificed in 
the building of the industrial and commercial city of to-day. 

William Sitter once said of Prague that "if Ruskin had not been 
so much occupied with Florence, Venice, and Amiens, he might have 
written three volumes with the title 'The Stones of Prague,' and there 
would not have been on the surface of the earth a more beautiful work 
of history and architecture." 

Writing of the Bohemians as a people, Prof. Niederle says: 

The Bohemians and Slovaks are derived from the western body of Slavs. The 
Slovaks can in general be regarded as a part of the same ethenic group, although con- 
siderably separated by various conditions. Both arose from a common center near that 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 19 

of the Poles to the north of the Sudet Mountains, reaching;, perhaps, into Moravia. 
Both races had settled their respective territories before th 1 latter half of the first 
millenium B. C, and can well be regarded as antochthonous in their countries. 

Historical data concerning the Bohemians begins in the seventh century. At that 
time their territory included what is now Bavaria. The Slovaks at this time occupied 
a very large portion of what is to-day Hungary. 

The naturally faA^orable and protected situation of the Bohemians resulted in a rapid 
and auspicious development of the people, and had it not been for some of its rulers 
with their foreign sympathies, the nation would have played a greater part among the 
Slavs and be a different pobitical unit to-day. 

Colonization with Germans of parts of Bohemia and Moravia by these rulers was detri- 
mental. This Germanization continued until the fourteenth century, when checked 
by the revulsion of the people under the leadership of John Hus in the Husite wars. 
As a result of these wars, the Bohemian language again became the official language in 
Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, a general national rejuvenation following. 

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries German aggression was again felt, and 
after the disastrous battle of Bila Hora near Prague in 1620, Bohemian nationality 
crumbled and was ruined by the repeated destructive invasions of the Thirty Year;? 
War. Then came further German colonization and more Germanization. 

A century ago it seemed as if the nation was doomed to follow the fate of the Elbe 
Slavs and become completely germanized. Instead of this, however, a marked and 
gradually reawakening of the national spirit became manifest and to-day it stands a 
most cultured and united and productive country. 

In matters of education and general culture there is a marked dif- 
ference in Europe between the Bohemians and the Slovafe. The 
percentage of the Bohemians, so Prof. Niederle claims, who can read 
and write exceed that of even the Germans, and is the highest for 
any large group of people in Europe. Among the Slovaks, due to 
adverse local conditions and governmental restrictions placed upon 
them by both the Austrians and the Magyars, the number who can 
read and write is possibly as low as 40 per cent. 

As a people, however, the Slovaks have never had a real chance to 
properly develop themselves or to make any noticeable progress, for 
what the various European governments have not denied them their 
religion has. It is a well-known fact, for instance, that among the 
Protestant Slovaks in Europe the percentage of illiteracy is as low 
as among the Bohemians. The total number of Slovak Protestants, 
however, is comparatively very small. This deprivation of equal 
opportunities in Europe, as haslbeen demonstrated by the Slovaks in 
Arkansas and in the south-side Virginia counties, does not disbar 
them in the South as undesirable agricultural settlers, for under 
proper conditions they make very rapid progress. 

In Europe, it is interesting to know, the Bohemians are engaged, 
according to occupations, about 43 per cent in agriculture, 37 per cent 
in industry, 11 per cent in the civil service, and 9 per cent in trans- 
portation. 

Glancing now just briefly at the cultural side of Bohemian nation- 
ality, we find that two of their national songs reflect somewhat their 
character. Austro-Gcrman dominance over the Bohemians prohibited 
for many years the singing of Hej Slovane, their stirring battle song, 
and a song which reveals the Bohemian's passionate love of liberty. 
To-day the inspiring, ringing words of this song may be heard again 
in Bohemia. The deep sentiment and patriotic response which the 
singing of this song produces on a Bohemian gathering is impossible 
to understand until one has heard it sung under the shadows of the 
ancient Bohemian hills, its high-flung defiance and militant spirit 
is lost in a mere reading of a translation, but the fullness of its patriot- 



20 SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FAEMS. 

ism can, in a measure, be gathered. An English translation by Dr. 
Vincent Pisek is as follows: 

Ho, Slavonians! Our beloved language still surviveth, 
While the faithful heart within us for our nation striveth; 

Yea, the Slavic spirit liveth; it will live forever. 
Hell and thunder, 'gainst us raging, vain is your endeavor; 

Hell and thunder, 'gainst us raging, vain is your endeavor. 

God to us our tongue entrusted, God who sways the thunder; 

Who on earth then shall presume this gift from us to sunder? 
Tho' the earth were filled with demons, our rights assailing, 

We defy them! God is with us, His strong arm prevailing; 
We defy them! God is with us, His strong arm prevailing. 

Though about us storms are raging, bringing devastation, 

Rocks disrupting, oaks uprooting, shaking earth's foundations, 

Yet we stand like castle walls, our vested rights asserting; 
May the earth engulf the traitor from our ranks deserting; 

May the earth engulf the traitor from our ranks deserting. 

In contrast to the harshness of Sej Slovane, with its clanging battle 
challenge, another popular Bohemian national song, "My Homeland," 
breaths a^peacefulness and love of race, of home, and of land that is 
truly beautiful. This song shows us the other side of the Bohemian 
character. An English translation, also by Dr. Pisek, is as follows: 

O, homeland mine, 0, homeland mine! 

Streams are rushing through thy meadows; 
'Mid thy rocks sigh fragrant pine groves. 

Orchards decked in spring's array, 
Scenes of Paradise portray, 

And this land of wondrous beauty, 
Is the Czech land, homeland mine, 

Is the Czech land, homeland mine. 

O, homeland mine, O, homeland mine! 

In thy realms dwell, dear to God's heart, 
Gentle souls in bodies stalwart. 

Clear of mind, they win success; 
Courage show when foes oppress. 

Such the Czech in whom I glory, 
Where the Czech live is my home, 

Where the Czech live is my home. 

THE SOUTH'S DUTY. 

As we study these people, their political, social, and literary his- 
tory, and begin more fully to appreciate their character and their 
dominating ambitions- -really begin to know them — we cease to 
marvel at the rapidity of the progress they are capable of when given 
a real chance. More than this, we suddenly begin to realize that 
they too possess some of the higher traits of civilized humanity. It 
becomes harder to carelessly class them as "undesirable immigrants," 
for even the most prejudiced of us in the South are forced to recognize 
in them some merit, as they have proved that they can do on southern 
farms what we ourselves are apparently unable to do. 

A deeper feeling of sympathy also awakens in us as we realize in 
our more sober moments that with the coming of the Slavs to the 
South we are recruiting in part the army upon which we must de- 

Eend to build the greater nation through the building of a greater 
outh. With the awakening of that greater sympathy, even though 



SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 21 

it be born of self-interest, we also feel the added responsibility which 
the coming of these people places upon us. We begin to see that we 
of the South owe these people a certain duty. r ihe best interests 
of the Nation, as well as these of the South, demand that as th«y 
come to make their homes among us, we meet them with kindness, 
with fairness, and with an appreciative understanding of their needs. 

We "must make Americans of our immigrants in the South and not 
allow them to be the assimilating forces. We must meet them with 
an unprejudiced mind, an honest purpose, and a welcoming hand in 
order to lead them into the close union of our national life. This is 
a duty which the future places upon us and from which the patriotic 
manhood of the South can not shrink. 

As the Slavs have already demonstrated their ability on southern 
farms, and have won recognition as desirable agricultural settlers, 
why then should we not encourage as well as welcome their coming ? 
Can anyone deny that the vacant acres of the South do not need 
these people? If not, then why should our encouragement of their 
coming among us remain passive, almost childish in its impotency? 

Whether the South will put forth an effort to properly people her 
vacant, man-hungry acres or not, sooner or later she must face the 
consequences of an alien immigration if she would fully attain that 
industrial and commercial supremacy for which our leaders are clam- 
oring and which destiny seems to have ordained. A greater indus- 
trial development of the South is coming as surely as the day follows 
the night. Effects of its coming are already being felt in our social 
life, and the time for useless protestations against the changing order 
of things has passed. Intelligent action is now needed. 

Let us assure ourselves, then, that there will be no "immigration 
problem" in the South, for it is within our power to avoid these 
so-called dangers if we will only face the situation squarely and 
properly. We know the kind of people who have demonstrated 
their acceptableness in the South, and, with an intelligent under- 
standing of their needs, we can easily fit them into our economic 
and social organization. It thus becomes the duty of the South to 
bend our new citizens to American civilization in the mold of 
southern ideals and to wisely utilize their brawn and their intelli- 
gence in the building of our future economic and political estate. 

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